31 August 2011Penguin halt flood mitigation at Manly Wharf(Australia)
Work near Manly Wharf in New South Wales to address flooding problems
will not resume until after the little
penguin breeding season ends in February. The work was halted out of concern
that there were little penguins nesting under the wharf. Manly Council
staff and contractors had removed sand and begun stormwater works near
the wharf but stopped working after volunteer penguin protectors advised
the council of nests beneath the wharf.Read The Manly Daily article

30 August 2011Penguin population stable at Troubridge(Australia)
Troubridge Island is home to one of the largest populations of little
penguins in South Australia and is the largest in the region. In stark
contrast to the small and rapidly decreasing population on Granite Island,
a recent census on Troubridge Island found there are about 2600 breeding
penguins.Penguin ecologist Annelise Wiebkin said she believes the population
of penguins on the island is stable, suggesting food is readily available
near the island and the adult survival rate is relatively high.Read Yorke Peninsula Country Times article

29 August 2011Emergency operation for greedy penguin at seal sanctuary(UK)
Lola, a Humboldt
penguin at the National
Seal Sanctuary in Gweek, had to be rushed to the vets to undergo an
emergency operation after swallowing a hair grip which had fallen into
her enclosure. Although it was touch and go, the operation was success
and the greedy bird is now back among her fellow penguins at the sanctuary.Read Falmouth Packet article

26 August 2011Zoo staff prepare for Happy Feet's farewell(New Zealand)NIWA staff have had
special penguin-handling training in preparation for the first part of
Happy Feet's big journey home. On 28 August the famous emperor
penguin will be moved on to NIWA research Tangaroa vessel which
is heading towards Antarctica. He will travel in a purpose built crate
onboard the vessel, before being released east of the Auckland Islands.
A special satellite transmitter will track his journey, and it is likely
to stay on him until around April next year when he moults. Read One News article at TVNZ

24 August 2011Granite Island penguins could be gone by 2020(Australia)
A census has added to worries Granite Island's little
penguin colony is on the brink of extinction. The count found 102 penguins
on the tiny island off the coast of Victor Harbor, south of Adelaide.
It is 30% fewer penguins than the year before and compares with about
1,600 recorded at the popular tourist destination a decade ago. Conservationist
Natalie Gilbert says there could be no penguins in the area by 2020 if
the trend persists.Read ABC News article

19 August 2011Penguins don't freeze, but they do get very, very cold(Subantarctic)
Junvenile king
penguins may huddle together not for warmth, but to get a good night's
sleep. The penguins appear to be able to conserve energy when they need
to by allowing their body temperature to drop. Scientists from the University
of Strasbourg, France inserted temperature sensors into several organs
in 10 chicks in the subantarctic Crozet Islands, then let them go about
their daily lives for about seven months. They found that parts of their
bodies dropped by up to 15.7°C when they were inactive, local temperatures
fell or when fed cold meals. Their results have been published in the
journal Nature
Communications.Read New Scientist article

18 August 2011Little penguins take break from raising offspring(Australia)
A joint study between Australian and French scientists, to be published
in Ecology,has
discovered a sophisticated feeding strategy for little
penguins, enabling them to take regular breaks from raising their chicks.
“We found little penguins alternate between two consecutive long
trips and several short foraging trips while rearing their offspring,”
said Claire Saraux, a French student from the University
of Strasbourg conducting her PhD project in Australia. “That
strategy is almost never observed in inshore marine birds that forage
close to land.”Read Phillip Island Nature Parks press release

17 August 2011Happy Feet heading home in style onboard NIWA's largest
research vessel(New Zealand)
Happy Feet the adventurous emperor
penguin is set to return home to the subantarctic onboard Tangaroa, NIWA's largest research
vessel. Tangaroa is due to depart Wellington on 29 August for
a month-long fisheries survey on Campbell Island southern blue whiting.
Happy Feet will be released from the ship on the way, approximately four
days out to sea, at about 53 degrees south. Dr Lisa Argilla, Manager Veterinary
Science at Wellington
Zoo, will accompany the penguin on his journey home. She will be assisted
by two NIWA staff who are on the vessel for the fisheries survey. They
will be trained to help Dr Argilla feed and care for the penguin before
the voyage departs.Read Wellington Zoo press release

11 August 2011Phillip Island Nature Parks opens world class wildlife rehabilitation
centre(Australia)
Phillip Island's little
penguins can look forward to world class care in the island's new wildlife
rehabilitation centre. The new centre was developed by Phillip
Island Nature Parks in conjunction with the Penguin
Foundation. It was opened by Minister for Environment and Climate
Change Ryan Smith, who said, "Victoria has one of the largest little
penguin colonies in the world so we must do our best to ensure these little
creatures are cared for and protected." The new rehabilitation centre
has the capacity to care for up to 1,500 little penguins in the event
of an oil spill. It is also equipped to care for other injured Phillip
Island wildlife.Read Liberal Victoria media release